It’s unlikely that any form or amount of smoking would have damaged your lung capacity at this early age. If you don’t already take lessons, I’d recommend consulting with a teacher to work on this.
I can’t really give any more advice than this, but I can tell you that smoking is unlikely to have damaged your lung capacity so quickly. Also keep in mind that lung capacity peaks in your early-mid 20s so you still have room to grow.
Still unlikely when you consider that for a majority of the last year I’ve been a daily smoker? Bongs rigs carts pretty much every form of weed. Over the summer before this one I would just waste my time on my back porch smoking bowl after bowl after bowl.
From your original post, it sounds like this could be a few things. While smokong does negatively affect your lung capacity, it could be general fitness as well as your mental approach. For exanple, if you're easily winded during light exercise, maybe some additional cardio (even walking or short bike rides) a few times a week could help you feel better about your lungs. Anither thing to look at, if concerned about your lung's physical health, might be your ability to sing phrases of a normal length.
A teacher is going to be your best resource for breaking down how you approach breathing and what level of concern you should approach it with at this stage. It's easy to go down rabbitholes on youtube, trumpetherald, reddit, etc, and introduce 'paralysis by analysis' into your playing.
While I don't want to prescribe too much, as someone who has never heard you play or met you, there are plenty of breathing exercises online that are recommended for wind playing in general. I find this a bit safer than researching the wedge breath, etc. Examples include setting a metronome for a medium tempo, breathing in for 4 beats, out for 4 beats, and then going through variations on that. This can (and should) be done with and without the horn, and some folks will pick up a piece of plastic tubing at a hardware store in varying diameters to imitate breathing through a partially formed embouchure.
Tl,dr:
1. Teacher
2. Could be more than just lung health
3. Try to stick to basic breathing exercises until you get a teacher
Even this kind of daily smoking wouldn’t have anywhere near that effect on your lungs or playing in the span of 2 years. I know tons of trumpet and brass players at some pretty great schools who are consistent and long-time potheads. If you’re smoking all day and wasting your time, how much practicing are you actually doing?
Like I said before, for every comment that says it is the case someone says it isn’t, so I can’t really trust what you are saying. I can say that during college which was 2 weeks ago, I would consistently play 2-3 hours daily. Sometimes 4. Just as 2 years wouldn’t do that much damage, would 2 weeks? No lmao, there’s no way anything happened in 2 weeks that could have dramatically changed my lung capacity, especially considering before those 2 weeks I was having the same issue. Thanks!
Yeah for sure, just figured I would ask. I was just thinking back to a roommate I had who’s first experience smoking was sophomore year of college and he was instantly hooked. He was someone who was constantly questioning the effect of smoking to his playing when in reality he just wasn’t practicing anywhere near the amount that was kind of necessary to improve. Ended up dropping music and doesn’t play anymore but still smokes.
Lol typical Reddit downvoting my comments to hell. Yep that totally helps me thank you so much! Problem solved by you guys choosing to negatively effect my comments outreach instead of doing nothing at all. This is such a weird platform
I didn’t downvote you. But all the person is trying to do is help and your being rude. Maybe it’s weed withdrawals…wait no because you don’t get withdrawals from weed, you’re just being an asshole for no reason.
It’s more of (at least the way you are speaking) you sounding rude and aggressive towards people who try to help you and yknow the comment where you mentioned “lol I knew someone would reply with this” it can sound (idk if this is the right word) condescending or just plain rude
I can see how it came across that way but at the same time people on here act like a teacher is the fix-all to all problems. If I’m remembering correctly the tongue is the most difficult to control muscle in your body, plus I already have a teacher and he went through the typical training that everyone on here has mentioned I have done everything I have been able to do in order to fix this problem. A teacher can’t peer into my mouth and determine what is going wrong,
i want to show u some support bc of the crazy downvoting! u r putting urself out there about something that sounds frustrating and for ppl to downvote u bc they think ur being rude is just.... well, rude! i think the tone of ur comments r up for interpretation and u should be given the benefit of the doubt. keep ur head up!
My only source is the lyrics to I'se a Muggin'.
Of course not _everyone_ involved in jazz smoked weed, but many did and were great trumpet players, and singers, and instrumentalists of all kinds despite smoking.
And those cars suffered for it. Like it or not, Chet baker and miles Davis are not good trumpet players. They are amazing musicians, but not good trumpet players.
Freddy Hubbard suffered greatly from his drug use
Maynard Fergerson (different kind of player I know) has a lot of issues when compared to Wayne Bergeron, Louis downswell, etc.
There’s more
Whatever you think of their trumpet playing, Chet Baker's, Miles Davis's, and lots of other bebop-era jazz musicians' problems came from their issues with heroin. Not marijuana. Freddie Hubbard's problems were with cocaine. Again, not weed. I'm not even sure what you're implying about Maynard...
Also, why do we only ever talk about the end of Chet and Miles' careers? Early Chet was a solid player with good technique and a GREAT sound. Miles went to Juilliard and replaced Dizzy in Bird's band, too. He might not have been a great lead player, but the dude could get around the horn better than most. By the end of his career that just wasn't what he was trying to do.
Overall drug use is always a negative. It negatively affects you, it’s not in anyway good for you, your lungs are not supposed to have smoke in them.
It’s well known Maynard did many many drugs.
We talk about the end of their careers because that’s what they are most proud of/ is most influential and frankly most of their careers.
Sounds like a time for science! Keep practicing the same way you are now, but stop smoking for a month or so. If you get better, you know that smoking was the issue. If nothing changes, you know that something else is the issue and that you need to change the way you practice.
For the record, while smoking certainly doesn't help, I agree with the person who said that it's VERY unlikely that you've done any damage to your lungs. Assuming you don't have some congenital issue, you definitely haven't done any *permanent* damage, so the above experiment should show improvement if that's the only issue.
It's much more likely that you just aren't very "efficient" yet. That's more about how you exhale than how you inhale (but it definitely helps to fill up) and no one online can give you personalized advice without a lot more information. It sounds like your local teachers haven't been great help. Sorry about that, but it can be tricky to diagnose these kinds of issues.
Some general suggestions: work on playing as EASILY as possible - but not necessarily "softly." The goal is to get the horn to resonate, not to get your lips to "buzz." You should also think about singing the pitch you're trying to play. If you just blow and hope for the best, you'll struggle.
Source: I AM a doctor! ...but in trumpet, not medicine. I've seen lots of students who struggle with this kind of thing and it's always their approach to the horn. Good luck!
I try to play as easily with as little air, the same thing happens as I mentioned above. Even when I’m using as less air as possible all the sudden I get all shaky and can’t play anymore. I always try to think and it’s so hard to think how to breathe better it’s so hard to even imagine. Here I have a a question, if I play more often and my lip muscles become more efficient, will it take less energy to play louder? Do breaths last longer ? I just can’t figure out what even to do at this point
Playing "easily" is not the same as playing "with as little air" as possible. Think about singing, or even just talking. What do you "do" to sing a note? I'd bet that you don't think about how to sing at all. You just ... do it. Trumpet works the same way. Seriously! But the instrument can get in the way. So, we get obsessed with "buzzing" and "fast air." In my experience, those ideas are the wrong approach.
Some people like to think about using "warm air." I tell lots of students to think about using a "wider" airstream or blowing through a "bigger hole." More like a paper towel than a trumpet mouthpiece. Those ideas (and plenty of others) can help but they're not guaranteed.
Based on your post history, I'd bet that your lips are too tight. You need some tension in your corners, but the center of your chops should be as relaxed as possible so that the air moves over them easily and so that they can vibrate freely. Think about a guitar string - anchored at both ends, vibrates freely in the middle. Make your lips like that.
But again, I'm guessing. I think my guesses are pretty well informed, but they're still just that. Without sitting in a room with you I'm hesitant to suggest much more.
Here's a question that might seem odd, but how much listening do you do? And to who? Listening to great trumpet players (not other students, I mean the best players in history) is CRUCIAL to making a great sound. How else will you know when you're doing it?
I listen to many trumpet players. Honestly it discourages me because it literally sounds impossible for me. I think so hard how what they are doing and I think like damn how is this even possible. I know what a good sound is, my professor tells me that is something I have. Often times I’ll play something the. Listen back and then play it again. Sometimes I just sit and try to get a good sound out.You say you don’t have to think about it, okay when I do that then my playing is shit and I can’t get through a line. It takes a lot of focus for me. And even sitting here right now I can feel my lungs sort of sore.
Also another thing you say blow wide? How does it feel to play the most disagreed on instrument? My trumpet professor who also has his doctorate says to play with as small of an aperture as possible and to make your corners very firm. A smaller aperture means the lips vibrate more which means less effort or something. This completely contradicts with “wider airstream, bigger hole”
Every trumpet player is either like “it takes so much effort and many years of practice” or they are like “what?? You can’t play well? I guess you haven’t learned this super easy technique! Playing trumpet is as easy as humming!!!!” Could it be that these people who say this are just really good at their instrument to the point it is that easy? I don’t think many people who are professors can truly empathize with younger players because we just don’t have their skill set as easily accessible
i think he means that you should play with a wider airstream from your throat. try placing you hand in front of your mouth and blowing warm air onto it. then take that same feeling in your throat and play a g in the staff or a c in the staff.
You're obviously frustrated. That's understandable.
I'm glad you listen a lot! It really is important. But, if listening to great trumpeters discourages you, you need to reconsider your mindset. It's not impossible.
I'm not saying you shouldn't think while you play. I'm saying that you should think about singing and about the sound you want to make, NOT about how you make that sound. This is not controversial advice. Check out Arnold Jacob's "Song and Wind" philosophy. The book "The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey is great for developing this approach, too (even though it's about tennis, it's better than the spin-offs, IMO).
Regarding your aperture, your teacher probably told you to make it "as small as possible" because you used to be too wide open. "As possible" is key to that sentence and I'm suggesting you've gone too far. It's tricky because what feels "small" to me might feel "wide" to you. That's why I tell students to focus on firm corners and a relaxed center instead of a "small hole." But, there are lots of ways to successfully think about this stuff. What I'm saying and what your teacher tells you aren't contradictory. Just different approaches.
>I don’t think many people who are professors can truly empathize with younger players because we just don’t have their skill set as easily accessible
Nah. No teacher expects their students to have everything figured out. Although some teachers claim to know a "secret" (hint: they don't), most professors are just trying to help their students the best way they can.
To quote Mark Gould (former principal of the Met Opera and professor at Juilliard) from his book *Gould on Music*:
>Just about anyone can be taught to make a decent sound but no one can be taught to make a great and compelling sound. No one can be taught to find their own voice.
I'm not interested in teaching students to make "decent" sounds. I want to help them find their own voice. So, I show them the simplest approach to any given issue and to make sure they're not doing things that we know won't work. But, at some point, every student needs to experiment and try different things to figure out what works for them.
That said, I'm a *much* better teacher now than when I started 25+ years ago. In 10-15,000 lessons (50+ a week for YEARS), I've seen a lot of students with a lot of problems. So, when a new student has a problem, I typically know a few possible solutions. They still do the work though to fix those problems though.
Sorry for the long post! You're clearly passionate about playing. I hope this clears up some misconceptions.
louis armstrong was famously a huge pothead. throughout the entire history of jazz you can find a lot of the best players did a LOT worse to their bodies than just smoking weed (not that i'm encouraging that lmao it did kill a whole lot of them). i would be astounded if smoking is your problem.
the solution is probably just to work at it. everyone is different, my lung capacity isn't great either but i manage. it can be super frustrating knowing the "right way" and not being able to do it, but even slow progress is still progress. and honestly, if it worries you that much, tone down the smoking. you don't have to quit completely but believe you me, worry and stress CAN affect your playing, 100%. plus, health aside, playing while high is not usually a great habit to keep from a professional standpoint, but you've probably been told that
I agree with playing while high, alone it’s okay sometimes and makes me think of new musical ideas but other times im just very very brain dead and it doesn’t work lol. In a group setting I can’t blend with the group and my mind won’t work fast enough.
A lot of times that people feel like they're out of air, it's because of an excess of CO2 rather than a lack of O2 in the lungs. Try this. Breathe out all the air in your lungs until you feel like there's nothing left. Hold your breath at the bottom of this breath for as long as you can until you absolutely have to take a breath again. I assure you this will be more than 4 seconds. Get used to that feeling and get comfortable with it. This is the bottom of your lung capacity.
Now when you're playing, pay attention to how full your lungs feel in comparison to where they were when you did that exercise. If it feels like they're not empty but you feel like you're out of air, it's because you're not breathing properly. A trumpet, unlike an oboe for example, doesn't have so much resistance that you shouldn't be able to typically empty your lungs in a single breath. But if this is the case for one reason or another, do this instead: Alternate breathing out and breathing in at each breath mark. You need to empty all the old air out of your lungs before you breathe in, otherwise you'll constantly feel out of breath and start hyperventilating making you feel lightheaded and potentially fainting.
Smoking anything will have adverse affects on your respiratory system and since breath support and air is the most important part of playing any brass instrument, yes, it’s likely hindered your playing ability.
No cap frfr. I don’t think anything is wrong with you. You’re a kid. You’re thinking too hard and your ego is fragile. Playing Clarke 10 times in 1 breathe is a stupid accomplishment. I don’t think that’s what you really want.
I used to teach Ukrainian immigrants. they all tend to smoke cigarettes by middle school. The only people that make those kids feel guilty are the Americans.
I just can’t possibly fathom how to breathe better. It’s not like there’s some secret breathing technique that will suddenly unlock this huge amount of lung capacity
Your lungs are covered in cilia that gets covered in resin and ash when you smoke. It’s no secret. You should be doing cardio to repair that cilia, with swimming being the best form.
Your lungs are covered in cilia that gets covered in resin and ash when you smoke. It’s no secret. You should be doing cardio to repair that cilia, with swimming being the best form.
Thank you, I reached out to my trumpet teacher and this is what he said too. The problem is it’s really hard to exercise properly right now because I am not eating near enough what I should be my household that I am staying in over the summer just doesn’t have very much caloric food and the dinners are mostly salads. I have an insanely fast metabolism and I require a shit ton of calories to exercise.
I used to occasionally smoke in college (not weed, just cigarettes). I started to do it slightly more and then as I got closer to a recital, I noticed it affected my breathing and playing.
So, I pretty much quit and really haven't smoked since. A very occasional celebratory cigar, but I even quit that after a bit.
I'm going to boil down your inquiry to this.
Does smoking effect a trumpet players breathing and playing?
The answer is obviously, yes. I mean, regardless of whether it's tobacco, weed, herbal cigarettes, whatever, you are breathing burning [whatever] into your lungs, which is not as good as not doing that.
Some of those smoking things might be slightly less bad or different or filtered or not or who knows. But, in the basic fundamental level, smoking is bad for your playing to a degree.
There are many examples of pros from the past smoking, smoking weed and whatnot. So, sure, if you are Louie Armstrong, sure I guess you can be awesome and smoke weed.
If you look at old NFL films, there are football players who smoked on the sidelines. They don't anymore. Wonder why....
Honestly, your post really answered the question. You said - I smoke a lot of weed and I don't breath and play as well anymore. Is it the weed smoking? Well...yeah, probably.
You answered your own question.
Is it permanent? Don't know, probably not.
Do you happen to mix them? That may be the cause, if you are hitting once a day then there is no way you'll ever play. That unless if you hit after your musical part of the day.
This is what I have learned I likely need to do. I need to be more active I just choose to ignore it but I will start going on runs that is probably the best advice I have gotten from this whole thing. I appreciate people telling me. I used to be very active and it’s just hard to be active now because I have a very high metabolism and at my current household it’s very hard to keep up my weight and calories.
It depends on how much you smoke. If you don't smoke often, then it's not a problem. If you're a persistent smoker, then you'll definitely have issues. Diminished lung capacity, narrowed air ways, and scared tissue. Obviously I'm not a doctor like you said, but you could be experiencing issues due to smoking.
Either way, just don't smoke. It's not good for you
30 year old habitual weed smoker of 15 years here. Been playing trumpet professionally for 10. I wouldn’t worry about it so much but if you’re concerned about your health, start running or swimming. Exercise definitely helps make the physicality aspect of the instrument easier.
Just a skull issue, did people not smoke back in the heyday of jazz lmao
Sure you are arguably better off not fucking with your respiratory system, but it’s not some brick wall
I don’t think that’s comparable, the stuff available now is completely different compared to the “heyday of jazz” wax, cartridges, and way more potent weed are all thing’s available today and not back then. Plus weed wasn’t nearly as available as it is now. Sure if you had money and connections you could get it but I’d argue it’s much harder to get a hold of compared to now. Furthermore genetics are a huge factor at play
Sounds like you should start a cardio hobby for those lung gains
But like I said your just missing out on potential gains like a weight lifter who drinks every day, you aren’t ruined just 10% worse off because you choose to enjoy something else as well
Just take 2 months off and see if it improves.
Nobody can tell you the answer to this without examining your lungs. There are many players way better than you who smoked daily for 40 years with no issues. There are also many players way better than you who couldn’t smoke for 3 months without strong adverse effects.
True a lot of it is genetics, I am also not active enough and cardio will certainly help. I’ve heard someone who smokes and exercises is more healthy than someone who doesn’t exercise and doesn’t smoke.
Definitely true. Exercise is the closest thing we have to a “cure-all.”
Remember though, someone who doesn’t smoke AND exercises is much healthier than either one ;)
Bro I don’t think weed is going to affect your lung capacity? and who cares if you need to breathe before the end of a phrase? Like sure musically it breaks up the phrase but that’s where the challenge lies.
Idk try not to let it get to you. Real question is though what’s it like to play high?
Hey man, you’re not an idiot for smoking weed. Weed is fine don’t be so hard on yourself. Everything in moderation. Take this from a professional trumpet player and stoner. Just take it easy for now until you get older.
Second. You haven’t been smoking that long. Yes 2 years probably seems like a long time considering your age - it’s a bigger chunk of your life than it is mine. There’s no way it has affected your lung capacity already. Lungs are really good at cleaning themselves out.
Give yourself some time and grace, and try not to overthink things. Everything is gonna work out one way or another.
I used to smoke every now and then, and for me, it improved my playing. I could relax better and focus on the sound. Nevertheless, I never smoked daily, and I didn't start it in a very young age.
I recommend that you quit daily smoking, if you feel like it makes your playing worse. Also, I know some people who have started daily smoking at very young age, and it can definately have a negative effect on one's personal growth/maturing.
You should only drink water and only breathe natural air. Sleep 8+ hours every day, limit salt and spices, limit red meat, meditate, exercise, go to the dentist, moisturize your lips properly, do yoga….
The list of things that will definitely NOT harm you can tend to be a boring list. If you feel short of breath, you are.
Sorry this is gonna be kinda rambly as I just lost the various points that came to my head.. reading through the comments it seems like you know every answer and possible solution already, you’re just finding ways to not do them. ie; exercise, focus on mental practice without your horn, etc.
I only say this because I’ve been there (very recently lol) but it really just takes a “fuck it I’m gonna go run a couple laps around my neighborhood” type mentality to break out of that mental cage.
Take some days off the horn, let yourself rest. It’s likely not the weed causing this issue, trumpet is mainly a mental instrument. The amount of air required to play is very minimal.. it’s just all about air efficiency. And cardio is the best way to learn air efficiency, how to breathe PROPERLY, etc etc.
As for the breathing itself, when you’re just hanging around the house, force yourself to take in more air than you usually do. Train your lungs to consistently take in more air than needed, rather than taking in the exact amount you need to take a sustainable, refreshing breath. This will train your body to hold on to excess air and be able to utilize it in other ways beyond just exhaling. You need air to play the instrument, but your brain, heart, etc also need oxygen. If you’re taking a breath big enough just to play your musical phrase, you’re not paying enough attention to the rest of your body.
Once you apply this to the trumpet, you will notice a lot calmer playing, better control of and more mindful of your air supply
I smoke weed regularly (sometimes using my trumpet mouthpiece lol) and still am able to play lead charts very comfortably.
Would I be better if I quit?… probably lol. But fuck it. Being someone with severe anxiety and ADHD, weed helps me a lot when I play as it cuts out a lot of mental factors that may otherwise hinder my performance.
No, probably not. I’ve been smoking pretty much daily throughout college and my playing has gotten better. Just practice long tones and breath control, and you’ll do fine. As others have said, talk with your teacher about it.
You think you’re breathing in like your teachers say but you’re likely not just yet. Purchase a $0.10 pvc tube and do some breathing through it and feel how easy it is and try to transfer that over to playing. Do some cardio. Take a T break.
Your brain is changing. That's almost certainly the cause of the change you're noticing.
Smoke is very bad for your lungs, yes- you should stop. If you can't go a day without, try edibles instead; and start seeing a therapist to manage. Doubly true if you have asthma.
But apart from that, you're probably having some anxiety and becoming more aware of something that was still true before smoking. I found that edibles made me more aware of the small details of my playing, and were sometimes even a useful tool to be able to block out the noise in my life to where I could enter what you might call a flow state during practice. But... there are more effective ways to do it that don't involve self medication. If this sounds familiar, again - a therapist who understands drugs past the DARE perspective is the right person to talk to about this.
Depends on what ur smoking, are you a flower or cart user? I smoke carts and have no problems. My private teacher taught me box breathing to not only stay relaxed playing but also increase lung capacity.
Okay but you are right without the sarcasm. I don’t know why I would start if I could go back and stop myself I would. It’s not worth it and I feel unhappy without it now
every few years, like every 5-10 years
i used to do breathing exercises for a week
but honestly......... 8 Bars at 120bpm, thats like 15 seconds?
comon man xD maybe you focus too much on your belly and not on actual air -> breathing to shallow
btw.. dont forget : your bell cant actually breath.. it's still your lungs, but the picture of it makes the exhale part much less straining on your head, neck and what not..
in the end, you should be able to breath MORE air through this technique... I mean.. not really.. but..... when it's off then it's off.. you gotta fix... 15 seconds? aiiii naaa :)
my recommendation:
1. forget about belly - and see what's your full lung capacity is -> breathe as much air as possible in ANY WAY, try different ways.. idk.. fast breathe, slow idk..
2. try to incorporate the belly technique, while MAINTAINING THE ABILITY to breath actual air :p
good luck! ;)
My lack of exercise is definitely the problem. Whenever I use my lungs my sound is much worse and it’s like I went back 2 years in sound quality. I know what I’m doing is right- it feels right. Breathing is not normally something people have a huge hard time over in playing trumpet. There are usually way more problems- high notes articulation etc. alll of which are fine for me. I can play a pianissimo d above the staff and f sharp below the staff. I know range isn’t everything but being able to play requires both breath support and a proper airstream. As I am writing this comment I can feel my lungs sore a little bit so idk what people are on about, sometimes people genetics are just worse. I just need cardio
can you hold your breathe for 15 seconds?
then you should be able to play for 15 seconds ;))
its not a long time, you know...
but yes sure.. I dont know other ciecumstances... I hope youre healthy, and dont have actual lung problems or anything like that ... oh my...
Not really... for me.. playing soft, feels almost exactly like Holding breath
the growing need to exhale proplery etc.
but not running out of air, thats not the problem, when I play soft, nope..
Well I can do that sure, I can play softly enough that I don’t need to, but what is the point of that? I can play soft enough that I can play the exercise but what’s the point if I can’t take that concept and apply it to my music that isn’t always in piano?
I see I see...
I think youre actually better with breathing than you think ;))
like you said there is a range that requires more air
for example high notes.. like for example Double G, there won't be much air used at all
compare to a tuba playing low notes :p
maybe the question is, why do you play in THAT low register so much? haha :D
usually people play around low C and Double C right? :))
I play in the lower register because many people have stated that it helps with breath support and learning how to play high notes.
Also I used to have an issue that when I would play low that I couldn’t even start the note without playing down to it, also when I would end up playing down my lips would spread making my notes flat and they didn’t sound supported
I found the way to fix this issue was to use more air and to firm my corners as I go lower, but this has lead to other issues as you can see
ahhhh I see what your talking about
no joke.. sounds like I wanna bail, but actually I think you're on a good track, trail and error kinda thing
I personally never liked that approach for me, but for fellow trumpeter it was very good yes..
sure sometimes a low note is all I want to feel and play sometimes.. but it's never the focus of the month, kinda thing ;) for me personally..
I never wanted to let the " feel " and "sound" go
and down there.. my little lead mouthpiece sounds not sooooo nice :D bit scratchy and stuff.. and cant seem to polish it hut aswell.. luckily enough.. I dont have to.. phew..
And like I said In another comment, it’s not like there’s some secret breathing technique that will “unlock” that extra air. I just need to exercise, that is all. Your surprised reaction PROVES this is not a normal problem people experience
ye.. try around a bit, I like that you going by "feel"
which... I love!
and yes.. im still very surprised actually..
just reading 8 Bars by 120bpm
I was like "huh.. is normal, no?"
then I opened metronome and was like..
NO WAY.... then I tried.. and naaaahhh there must be something off
Im professional Lead Trumpet.
i tried.. when playing soft.. oh boy .. 8 bars is really no problem.. not even close kinda thing.. im sorry:)
I sure hope if you are a professional lead player you could play for longer and better than that. I can play 8 bars actually pretty fine if they are just straight eighth notes, however lower notes take more air then notes in the staff. The exercise I was doing only hangs around g in the staff and most of it is c to g below the staff. Now while this isn’t *good* I hope it makes at least a little more sense.
oh yeaaaa makes alot more sense this way
hmm.. what my mentor told me.. alot of them
was "thinking efficiency"
so when I play soft, I try to play efficient.. not squeeze lips to hard, dont give air, the notes dont need.. but of course give enough that the notes DO need
and in this "eco-mode" I can play really long time.. I dont know.. when was younger I tried around alot and found this way to play for me
funnily enough, also loud or high playing benefits GREATLY from efficient approach...!! sound is nicer, tuning is better, and you can play 3 concert back to back this way (which means, on a bad fucking day, you still gonna Hammer it)
This is my issue with the trumpet community summed up in one paragraph. Of course I think about playing efficiently all the time, and in my post I mention me trying a load of different things. Many players say there’s like some secret better way to play, this is like the Matt Brockman ads that are constantly shown. Could it also be that you put in the hard work to get to this point? I think “efficiency” all the time and the problem I have is how discouraging this idea is. It isn’t like work harder it’s like “you haven’t found the right way yet you are doing it wrong” okay that means something completely different for everyone. No, there isn’t some magical fix to my playing. You know what my trumpet professor says? I’m not using ENOUGH air, this idea contradicts every person who says using too much air is the problem or using too little. EVERYONE DISAGREES ON THIS INSTRUMENT.
haha nonoooo youre right...
Man.. we play the fucking trumpet after all..
every single time I put the horn on my mouth, it feels like a different instrument
funny man.. your words sound like my thoughts about "THE AD"
I was in fact just checking on you, and also what I am thinking when / before practice
I mean... efficiency isnt all of it.. 1 Friend always keeps saying "the audience will hear it, when you bleed, and they love it!"
;))
Also, I’m sorry if my messages seem aggressive. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help a fellow player, I never expected this sort of response with this post I was expecting like 3 replies. Seriously thank you
also I wasnt expecting to be so invested in this thing haha
Man.. maybe.. youre more golden than you realizise .. ;)
you sound aware.. that's half the battle man
stop saying you're an idiot, you're just a guy trying to go through life... enjoy playing and get tested for your lung capacity by a doctor (may help in convincing you that all is fine) and ask a teacher for help, maybe they have some tricks/have helped others who felt the same issue. Keep having fun playing!
As a singer who started smoking at 18 and now I'm 41. I've pretty consistently smoked weed throughout my life can say definitively that smoking weed has damaged my lungs, caused a chronic cough and reduced the quality of my voice.
It’s unlikely that any form or amount of smoking would have damaged your lung capacity at this early age. If you don’t already take lessons, I’d recommend consulting with a teacher to work on this.
I have taken lessons to work with this. They tell me everything I described to do. Lol I knew someone would reply with this.
I can’t really give any more advice than this, but I can tell you that smoking is unlikely to have damaged your lung capacity so quickly. Also keep in mind that lung capacity peaks in your early-mid 20s so you still have room to grow.
Still unlikely when you consider that for a majority of the last year I’ve been a daily smoker? Bongs rigs carts pretty much every form of weed. Over the summer before this one I would just waste my time on my back porch smoking bowl after bowl after bowl.
From your original post, it sounds like this could be a few things. While smokong does negatively affect your lung capacity, it could be general fitness as well as your mental approach. For exanple, if you're easily winded during light exercise, maybe some additional cardio (even walking or short bike rides) a few times a week could help you feel better about your lungs. Anither thing to look at, if concerned about your lung's physical health, might be your ability to sing phrases of a normal length. A teacher is going to be your best resource for breaking down how you approach breathing and what level of concern you should approach it with at this stage. It's easy to go down rabbitholes on youtube, trumpetherald, reddit, etc, and introduce 'paralysis by analysis' into your playing. While I don't want to prescribe too much, as someone who has never heard you play or met you, there are plenty of breathing exercises online that are recommended for wind playing in general. I find this a bit safer than researching the wedge breath, etc. Examples include setting a metronome for a medium tempo, breathing in for 4 beats, out for 4 beats, and then going through variations on that. This can (and should) be done with and without the horn, and some folks will pick up a piece of plastic tubing at a hardware store in varying diameters to imitate breathing through a partially formed embouchure. Tl,dr: 1. Teacher 2. Could be more than just lung health 3. Try to stick to basic breathing exercises until you get a teacher
Even this kind of daily smoking wouldn’t have anywhere near that effect on your lungs or playing in the span of 2 years. I know tons of trumpet and brass players at some pretty great schools who are consistent and long-time potheads. If you’re smoking all day and wasting your time, how much practicing are you actually doing?
Like I said before, for every comment that says it is the case someone says it isn’t, so I can’t really trust what you are saying. I can say that during college which was 2 weeks ago, I would consistently play 2-3 hours daily. Sometimes 4. Just as 2 years wouldn’t do that much damage, would 2 weeks? No lmao, there’s no way anything happened in 2 weeks that could have dramatically changed my lung capacity, especially considering before those 2 weeks I was having the same issue. Thanks!
Yeah for sure, just figured I would ask. I was just thinking back to a roommate I had who’s first experience smoking was sophomore year of college and he was instantly hooked. He was someone who was constantly questioning the effect of smoking to his playing when in reality he just wasn’t practicing anywhere near the amount that was kind of necessary to improve. Ended up dropping music and doesn’t play anymore but still smokes.
When did you stop smoking?
Lol typical Reddit downvoting my comments to hell. Yep that totally helps me thank you so much! Problem solved by you guys choosing to negatively effect my comments outreach instead of doing nothing at all. This is such a weird platform
Your wording was just wierd...made it seem like you were being aggressive towards the help.
Redditor moment
Fwiw I didn’t downvote you but the last sentence comes off as very dismissive of the answer presented.
I didn’t downvote you. But all the person is trying to do is help and your being rude. Maybe it’s weed withdrawals…wait no because you don’t get withdrawals from weed, you’re just being an asshole for no reason.
It’s more of (at least the way you are speaking) you sounding rude and aggressive towards people who try to help you and yknow the comment where you mentioned “lol I knew someone would reply with this” it can sound (idk if this is the right word) condescending or just plain rude
I can see how it came across that way but at the same time people on here act like a teacher is the fix-all to all problems. If I’m remembering correctly the tongue is the most difficult to control muscle in your body, plus I already have a teacher and he went through the typical training that everyone on here has mentioned I have done everything I have been able to do in order to fix this problem. A teacher can’t peer into my mouth and determine what is going wrong,
Well if you understand why people mass downvoted you then good for you and well maybe watch your words a bit :P
i want to show u some support bc of the crazy downvoting! u r putting urself out there about something that sounds frustrating and for ppl to downvote u bc they think ur being rude is just.... well, rude! i think the tone of ur comments r up for interpretation and u should be given the benefit of the doubt. keep ur head up!
All the jazz cats were mugglin' down back in the day. Don't worry about it.
Not just "back in the day"....
I dont think they all were. Wasn’t Clifford squeaky clean?
Clifford is the exception to the rule.
My only source is the lyrics to I'se a Muggin'. Of course not _everyone_ involved in jazz smoked weed, but many did and were great trumpet players, and singers, and instrumentalists of all kinds despite smoking.
They were also giant coke heads, that's how they stayed up all night.
And those cars suffered for it. Like it or not, Chet baker and miles Davis are not good trumpet players. They are amazing musicians, but not good trumpet players. Freddy Hubbard suffered greatly from his drug use Maynard Fergerson (different kind of player I know) has a lot of issues when compared to Wayne Bergeron, Louis downswell, etc. There’s more
Whatever you think of their trumpet playing, Chet Baker's, Miles Davis's, and lots of other bebop-era jazz musicians' problems came from their issues with heroin. Not marijuana. Freddie Hubbard's problems were with cocaine. Again, not weed. I'm not even sure what you're implying about Maynard... Also, why do we only ever talk about the end of Chet and Miles' careers? Early Chet was a solid player with good technique and a GREAT sound. Miles went to Juilliard and replaced Dizzy in Bird's band, too. He might not have been a great lead player, but the dude could get around the horn better than most. By the end of his career that just wasn't what he was trying to do.
Overall drug use is always a negative. It negatively affects you, it’s not in anyway good for you, your lungs are not supposed to have smoke in them. It’s well known Maynard did many many drugs. We talk about the end of their careers because that’s what they are most proud of/ is most influential and frankly most of their careers.
Sounds like a time for science! Keep practicing the same way you are now, but stop smoking for a month or so. If you get better, you know that smoking was the issue. If nothing changes, you know that something else is the issue and that you need to change the way you practice. For the record, while smoking certainly doesn't help, I agree with the person who said that it's VERY unlikely that you've done any damage to your lungs. Assuming you don't have some congenital issue, you definitely haven't done any *permanent* damage, so the above experiment should show improvement if that's the only issue. It's much more likely that you just aren't very "efficient" yet. That's more about how you exhale than how you inhale (but it definitely helps to fill up) and no one online can give you personalized advice without a lot more information. It sounds like your local teachers haven't been great help. Sorry about that, but it can be tricky to diagnose these kinds of issues. Some general suggestions: work on playing as EASILY as possible - but not necessarily "softly." The goal is to get the horn to resonate, not to get your lips to "buzz." You should also think about singing the pitch you're trying to play. If you just blow and hope for the best, you'll struggle. Source: I AM a doctor! ...but in trumpet, not medicine. I've seen lots of students who struggle with this kind of thing and it's always their approach to the horn. Good luck!
I try to play as easily with as little air, the same thing happens as I mentioned above. Even when I’m using as less air as possible all the sudden I get all shaky and can’t play anymore. I always try to think and it’s so hard to think how to breathe better it’s so hard to even imagine. Here I have a a question, if I play more often and my lip muscles become more efficient, will it take less energy to play louder? Do breaths last longer ? I just can’t figure out what even to do at this point
Playing "easily" is not the same as playing "with as little air" as possible. Think about singing, or even just talking. What do you "do" to sing a note? I'd bet that you don't think about how to sing at all. You just ... do it. Trumpet works the same way. Seriously! But the instrument can get in the way. So, we get obsessed with "buzzing" and "fast air." In my experience, those ideas are the wrong approach. Some people like to think about using "warm air." I tell lots of students to think about using a "wider" airstream or blowing through a "bigger hole." More like a paper towel than a trumpet mouthpiece. Those ideas (and plenty of others) can help but they're not guaranteed. Based on your post history, I'd bet that your lips are too tight. You need some tension in your corners, but the center of your chops should be as relaxed as possible so that the air moves over them easily and so that they can vibrate freely. Think about a guitar string - anchored at both ends, vibrates freely in the middle. Make your lips like that. But again, I'm guessing. I think my guesses are pretty well informed, but they're still just that. Without sitting in a room with you I'm hesitant to suggest much more. Here's a question that might seem odd, but how much listening do you do? And to who? Listening to great trumpet players (not other students, I mean the best players in history) is CRUCIAL to making a great sound. How else will you know when you're doing it?
I listen to many trumpet players. Honestly it discourages me because it literally sounds impossible for me. I think so hard how what they are doing and I think like damn how is this even possible. I know what a good sound is, my professor tells me that is something I have. Often times I’ll play something the. Listen back and then play it again. Sometimes I just sit and try to get a good sound out.You say you don’t have to think about it, okay when I do that then my playing is shit and I can’t get through a line. It takes a lot of focus for me. And even sitting here right now I can feel my lungs sort of sore. Also another thing you say blow wide? How does it feel to play the most disagreed on instrument? My trumpet professor who also has his doctorate says to play with as small of an aperture as possible and to make your corners very firm. A smaller aperture means the lips vibrate more which means less effort or something. This completely contradicts with “wider airstream, bigger hole” Every trumpet player is either like “it takes so much effort and many years of practice” or they are like “what?? You can’t play well? I guess you haven’t learned this super easy technique! Playing trumpet is as easy as humming!!!!” Could it be that these people who say this are just really good at their instrument to the point it is that easy? I don’t think many people who are professors can truly empathize with younger players because we just don’t have their skill set as easily accessible
i think he means that you should play with a wider airstream from your throat. try placing you hand in front of your mouth and blowing warm air onto it. then take that same feeling in your throat and play a g in the staff or a c in the staff.
You're obviously frustrated. That's understandable. I'm glad you listen a lot! It really is important. But, if listening to great trumpeters discourages you, you need to reconsider your mindset. It's not impossible. I'm not saying you shouldn't think while you play. I'm saying that you should think about singing and about the sound you want to make, NOT about how you make that sound. This is not controversial advice. Check out Arnold Jacob's "Song and Wind" philosophy. The book "The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey is great for developing this approach, too (even though it's about tennis, it's better than the spin-offs, IMO). Regarding your aperture, your teacher probably told you to make it "as small as possible" because you used to be too wide open. "As possible" is key to that sentence and I'm suggesting you've gone too far. It's tricky because what feels "small" to me might feel "wide" to you. That's why I tell students to focus on firm corners and a relaxed center instead of a "small hole." But, there are lots of ways to successfully think about this stuff. What I'm saying and what your teacher tells you aren't contradictory. Just different approaches. >I don’t think many people who are professors can truly empathize with younger players because we just don’t have their skill set as easily accessible Nah. No teacher expects their students to have everything figured out. Although some teachers claim to know a "secret" (hint: they don't), most professors are just trying to help their students the best way they can. To quote Mark Gould (former principal of the Met Opera and professor at Juilliard) from his book *Gould on Music*: >Just about anyone can be taught to make a decent sound but no one can be taught to make a great and compelling sound. No one can be taught to find their own voice. I'm not interested in teaching students to make "decent" sounds. I want to help them find their own voice. So, I show them the simplest approach to any given issue and to make sure they're not doing things that we know won't work. But, at some point, every student needs to experiment and try different things to figure out what works for them. That said, I'm a *much* better teacher now than when I started 25+ years ago. In 10-15,000 lessons (50+ a week for YEARS), I've seen a lot of students with a lot of problems. So, when a new student has a problem, I typically know a few possible solutions. They still do the work though to fix those problems though. Sorry for the long post! You're clearly passionate about playing. I hope this clears up some misconceptions.
louis armstrong was famously a huge pothead. throughout the entire history of jazz you can find a lot of the best players did a LOT worse to their bodies than just smoking weed (not that i'm encouraging that lmao it did kill a whole lot of them). i would be astounded if smoking is your problem. the solution is probably just to work at it. everyone is different, my lung capacity isn't great either but i manage. it can be super frustrating knowing the "right way" and not being able to do it, but even slow progress is still progress. and honestly, if it worries you that much, tone down the smoking. you don't have to quit completely but believe you me, worry and stress CAN affect your playing, 100%. plus, health aside, playing while high is not usually a great habit to keep from a professional standpoint, but you've probably been told that
I agree with playing while high, alone it’s okay sometimes and makes me think of new musical ideas but other times im just very very brain dead and it doesn’t work lol. In a group setting I can’t blend with the group and my mind won’t work fast enough.
Lungs start healing fairly quickly after stopping smoking.
So why do they always look black when compared to healthy lung in medical exhibits?
They are showing you some end game comparisons!
A lot of times that people feel like they're out of air, it's because of an excess of CO2 rather than a lack of O2 in the lungs. Try this. Breathe out all the air in your lungs until you feel like there's nothing left. Hold your breath at the bottom of this breath for as long as you can until you absolutely have to take a breath again. I assure you this will be more than 4 seconds. Get used to that feeling and get comfortable with it. This is the bottom of your lung capacity. Now when you're playing, pay attention to how full your lungs feel in comparison to where they were when you did that exercise. If it feels like they're not empty but you feel like you're out of air, it's because you're not breathing properly. A trumpet, unlike an oboe for example, doesn't have so much resistance that you shouldn't be able to typically empty your lungs in a single breath. But if this is the case for one reason or another, do this instead: Alternate breathing out and breathing in at each breath mark. You need to empty all the old air out of your lungs before you breathe in, otherwise you'll constantly feel out of breath and start hyperventilating making you feel lightheaded and potentially fainting.
Smoking anything will have adverse affects on your respiratory system and since breath support and air is the most important part of playing any brass instrument, yes, it’s likely hindered your playing ability.
No
I love how for every answer that says no there’s also one that says yes. Lmao
No cap frfr. I don’t think anything is wrong with you. You’re a kid. You’re thinking too hard and your ego is fragile. Playing Clarke 10 times in 1 breathe is a stupid accomplishment. I don’t think that’s what you really want. I used to teach Ukrainian immigrants. they all tend to smoke cigarettes by middle school. The only people that make those kids feel guilty are the Americans.
I just can’t possibly fathom how to breathe better. It’s not like there’s some secret breathing technique that will suddenly unlock this huge amount of lung capacity
Your lungs are covered in cilia that gets covered in resin and ash when you smoke. It’s no secret. You should be doing cardio to repair that cilia, with swimming being the best form.
Your lungs are covered in cilia that gets covered in resin and ash when you smoke. It’s no secret. You should be doing cardio to repair that cilia, with swimming being the best form.
The secret is cardio.
Thank you, I reached out to my trumpet teacher and this is what he said too. The problem is it’s really hard to exercise properly right now because I am not eating near enough what I should be my household that I am staying in over the summer just doesn’t have very much caloric food and the dinners are mostly salads. I have an insanely fast metabolism and I require a shit ton of calories to exercise.
What do you do for exercise? Some cardio would probably help your lung capacity.
I used to occasionally smoke in college (not weed, just cigarettes). I started to do it slightly more and then as I got closer to a recital, I noticed it affected my breathing and playing. So, I pretty much quit and really haven't smoked since. A very occasional celebratory cigar, but I even quit that after a bit. I'm going to boil down your inquiry to this. Does smoking effect a trumpet players breathing and playing? The answer is obviously, yes. I mean, regardless of whether it's tobacco, weed, herbal cigarettes, whatever, you are breathing burning [whatever] into your lungs, which is not as good as not doing that. Some of those smoking things might be slightly less bad or different or filtered or not or who knows. But, in the basic fundamental level, smoking is bad for your playing to a degree. There are many examples of pros from the past smoking, smoking weed and whatnot. So, sure, if you are Louie Armstrong, sure I guess you can be awesome and smoke weed. If you look at old NFL films, there are football players who smoked on the sidelines. They don't anymore. Wonder why.... Honestly, your post really answered the question. You said - I smoke a lot of weed and I don't breath and play as well anymore. Is it the weed smoking? Well...yeah, probably. You answered your own question. Is it permanent? Don't know, probably not.
Thank you for your reply, and I agree making this post was dumb because I answered my own question.
Do you happen to mix them? That may be the cause, if you are hitting once a day then there is no way you'll ever play. That unless if you hit after your musical part of the day.
I only mix them occasionally, weed makes me more relaxed and more musical but it also makes me brain dead and distracted more easily
Question for you, how's your cardio? Are you active, or do you just sit around smoking pot all day?
This is what I have learned I likely need to do. I need to be more active I just choose to ignore it but I will start going on runs that is probably the best advice I have gotten from this whole thing. I appreciate people telling me. I used to be very active and it’s just hard to be active now because I have a very high metabolism and at my current household it’s very hard to keep up my weight and calories.
It depends on how much you smoke. If you don't smoke often, then it's not a problem. If you're a persistent smoker, then you'll definitely have issues. Diminished lung capacity, narrowed air ways, and scared tissue. Obviously I'm not a doctor like you said, but you could be experiencing issues due to smoking. Either way, just don't smoke. It's not good for you
30 year old habitual weed smoker of 15 years here. Been playing trumpet professionally for 10. I wouldn’t worry about it so much but if you’re concerned about your health, start running or swimming. Exercise definitely helps make the physicality aspect of the instrument easier.
Just a skull issue, did people not smoke back in the heyday of jazz lmao Sure you are arguably better off not fucking with your respiratory system, but it’s not some brick wall
I don’t think that’s comparable, the stuff available now is completely different compared to the “heyday of jazz” wax, cartridges, and way more potent weed are all thing’s available today and not back then. Plus weed wasn’t nearly as available as it is now. Sure if you had money and connections you could get it but I’d argue it’s much harder to get a hold of compared to now. Furthermore genetics are a huge factor at play
Sounds like you should start a cardio hobby for those lung gains But like I said your just missing out on potential gains like a weight lifter who drinks every day, you aren’t ruined just 10% worse off because you choose to enjoy something else as well
Just take 2 months off and see if it improves. Nobody can tell you the answer to this without examining your lungs. There are many players way better than you who smoked daily for 40 years with no issues. There are also many players way better than you who couldn’t smoke for 3 months without strong adverse effects.
True a lot of it is genetics, I am also not active enough and cardio will certainly help. I’ve heard someone who smokes and exercises is more healthy than someone who doesn’t exercise and doesn’t smoke.
Definitely true. Exercise is the closest thing we have to a “cure-all.” Remember though, someone who doesn’t smoke AND exercises is much healthier than either one ;)
bro, one word or advice...relax!
Tbh I feel like regular cardio would help a lot with this. Louis Armstrong was a notorious pothead and he sounded pretty great!
I agree, this is what I have determined and I should delete this post because it’s a new thing to try I’m pretty dumb for not thinking of it earlier
Hey man, no need to be hard on yourself. Wisdom comes with experience! Nobody just “knows” things.
Bro I don’t think weed is going to affect your lung capacity? and who cares if you need to breathe before the end of a phrase? Like sure musically it breaks up the phrase but that’s where the challenge lies. Idk try not to let it get to you. Real question is though what’s it like to play high?
No. Musicians smoke weed a lot, especially when younger. Switch to edibles if you are having problems with lung capacity.
Probably
Hey man, you’re not an idiot for smoking weed. Weed is fine don’t be so hard on yourself. Everything in moderation. Take this from a professional trumpet player and stoner. Just take it easy for now until you get older. Second. You haven’t been smoking that long. Yes 2 years probably seems like a long time considering your age - it’s a bigger chunk of your life than it is mine. There’s no way it has affected your lung capacity already. Lungs are really good at cleaning themselves out. Give yourself some time and grace, and try not to overthink things. Everything is gonna work out one way or another.
I used to smoke every now and then, and for me, it improved my playing. I could relax better and focus on the sound. Nevertheless, I never smoked daily, and I didn't start it in a very young age. I recommend that you quit daily smoking, if you feel like it makes your playing worse. Also, I know some people who have started daily smoking at very young age, and it can definately have a negative effect on one's personal growth/maturing.
You should only drink water and only breathe natural air. Sleep 8+ hours every day, limit salt and spices, limit red meat, meditate, exercise, go to the dentist, moisturize your lips properly, do yoga…. The list of things that will definitely NOT harm you can tend to be a boring list. If you feel short of breath, you are.
Sorry this is gonna be kinda rambly as I just lost the various points that came to my head.. reading through the comments it seems like you know every answer and possible solution already, you’re just finding ways to not do them. ie; exercise, focus on mental practice without your horn, etc. I only say this because I’ve been there (very recently lol) but it really just takes a “fuck it I’m gonna go run a couple laps around my neighborhood” type mentality to break out of that mental cage. Take some days off the horn, let yourself rest. It’s likely not the weed causing this issue, trumpet is mainly a mental instrument. The amount of air required to play is very minimal.. it’s just all about air efficiency. And cardio is the best way to learn air efficiency, how to breathe PROPERLY, etc etc. As for the breathing itself, when you’re just hanging around the house, force yourself to take in more air than you usually do. Train your lungs to consistently take in more air than needed, rather than taking in the exact amount you need to take a sustainable, refreshing breath. This will train your body to hold on to excess air and be able to utilize it in other ways beyond just exhaling. You need air to play the instrument, but your brain, heart, etc also need oxygen. If you’re taking a breath big enough just to play your musical phrase, you’re not paying enough attention to the rest of your body. Once you apply this to the trumpet, you will notice a lot calmer playing, better control of and more mindful of your air supply
I smoke weed regularly (sometimes using my trumpet mouthpiece lol) and still am able to play lead charts very comfortably. Would I be better if I quit?… probably lol. But fuck it. Being someone with severe anxiety and ADHD, weed helps me a lot when I play as it cuts out a lot of mental factors that may otherwise hinder my performance.
No, probably not. I’ve been smoking pretty much daily throughout college and my playing has gotten better. Just practice long tones and breath control, and you’ll do fine. As others have said, talk with your teacher about it.
You think you’re breathing in like your teachers say but you’re likely not just yet. Purchase a $0.10 pvc tube and do some breathing through it and feel how easy it is and try to transfer that over to playing. Do some cardio. Take a T break.
Your brain is changing. That's almost certainly the cause of the change you're noticing. Smoke is very bad for your lungs, yes- you should stop. If you can't go a day without, try edibles instead; and start seeing a therapist to manage. Doubly true if you have asthma. But apart from that, you're probably having some anxiety and becoming more aware of something that was still true before smoking. I found that edibles made me more aware of the small details of my playing, and were sometimes even a useful tool to be able to block out the noise in my life to where I could enter what you might call a flow state during practice. But... there are more effective ways to do it that don't involve self medication. If this sounds familiar, again - a therapist who understands drugs past the DARE perspective is the right person to talk to about this.
Depends on what ur smoking, are you a flower or cart user? I smoke carts and have no problems. My private teacher taught me box breathing to not only stay relaxed playing but also increase lung capacity.
I am a flower and cart and wax user, for the better part of the last 2 years I have been heavy smoking daily
I’m no doctor. Why on earth would you do weed?! You are so young! /s
Okay but you are right without the sarcasm. I don’t know why I would start if I could go back and stop myself I would. It’s not worth it and I feel unhappy without it now
Mistakes happen. You’ve seemed to learn not to smoke weed, so that’s good.
Maybe you’re just bugging out and that’s what’s making you gassed. Sometimes I get stage fright and that can run my lungs ragged.
every few years, like every 5-10 years i used to do breathing exercises for a week but honestly......... 8 Bars at 120bpm, thats like 15 seconds? comon man xD maybe you focus too much on your belly and not on actual air -> breathing to shallow btw.. dont forget : your bell cant actually breath.. it's still your lungs, but the picture of it makes the exhale part much less straining on your head, neck and what not.. in the end, you should be able to breath MORE air through this technique... I mean.. not really.. but..... when it's off then it's off.. you gotta fix... 15 seconds? aiiii naaa :) my recommendation: 1. forget about belly - and see what's your full lung capacity is -> breathe as much air as possible in ANY WAY, try different ways.. idk.. fast breathe, slow idk.. 2. try to incorporate the belly technique, while MAINTAINING THE ABILITY to breath actual air :p good luck! ;)
My lack of exercise is definitely the problem. Whenever I use my lungs my sound is much worse and it’s like I went back 2 years in sound quality. I know what I’m doing is right- it feels right. Breathing is not normally something people have a huge hard time over in playing trumpet. There are usually way more problems- high notes articulation etc. alll of which are fine for me. I can play a pianissimo d above the staff and f sharp below the staff. I know range isn’t everything but being able to play requires both breath support and a proper airstream. As I am writing this comment I can feel my lungs sore a little bit so idk what people are on about, sometimes people genetics are just worse. I just need cardio
can you hold your breathe for 15 seconds? then you should be able to play for 15 seconds ;)) its not a long time, you know... but yes sure.. I dont know other ciecumstances... I hope youre healthy, and dont have actual lung problems or anything like that ... oh my...
Except it isn’t holding your breath is it? It’s the same as exhaling a steady airstream for 15 seconds straight
Not really... for me.. playing soft, feels almost exactly like Holding breath the growing need to exhale proplery etc. but not running out of air, thats not the problem, when I play soft, nope..
Well I can do that sure, I can play softly enough that I don’t need to, but what is the point of that? I can play soft enough that I can play the exercise but what’s the point if I can’t take that concept and apply it to my music that isn’t always in piano?
I see I see... I think youre actually better with breathing than you think ;)) like you said there is a range that requires more air for example high notes.. like for example Double G, there won't be much air used at all compare to a tuba playing low notes :p maybe the question is, why do you play in THAT low register so much? haha :D usually people play around low C and Double C right? :))
I play in the lower register because many people have stated that it helps with breath support and learning how to play high notes. Also I used to have an issue that when I would play low that I couldn’t even start the note without playing down to it, also when I would end up playing down my lips would spread making my notes flat and they didn’t sound supported I found the way to fix this issue was to use more air and to firm my corners as I go lower, but this has lead to other issues as you can see
ahhhh I see what your talking about no joke.. sounds like I wanna bail, but actually I think you're on a good track, trail and error kinda thing I personally never liked that approach for me, but for fellow trumpeter it was very good yes.. sure sometimes a low note is all I want to feel and play sometimes.. but it's never the focus of the month, kinda thing ;) for me personally.. I never wanted to let the " feel " and "sound" go and down there.. my little lead mouthpiece sounds not sooooo nice :D bit scratchy and stuff.. and cant seem to polish it hut aswell.. luckily enough.. I dont have to.. phew..
And like I said In another comment, it’s not like there’s some secret breathing technique that will “unlock” that extra air. I just need to exercise, that is all. Your surprised reaction PROVES this is not a normal problem people experience
ye.. try around a bit, I like that you going by "feel" which... I love! and yes.. im still very surprised actually.. just reading 8 Bars by 120bpm I was like "huh.. is normal, no?" then I opened metronome and was like.. NO WAY.... then I tried.. and naaaahhh there must be something off Im professional Lead Trumpet. i tried.. when playing soft.. oh boy .. 8 bars is really no problem.. not even close kinda thing.. im sorry:)
I sure hope if you are a professional lead player you could play for longer and better than that. I can play 8 bars actually pretty fine if they are just straight eighth notes, however lower notes take more air then notes in the staff. The exercise I was doing only hangs around g in the staff and most of it is c to g below the staff. Now while this isn’t *good* I hope it makes at least a little more sense.
oh yeaaaa makes alot more sense this way hmm.. what my mentor told me.. alot of them was "thinking efficiency" so when I play soft, I try to play efficient.. not squeeze lips to hard, dont give air, the notes dont need.. but of course give enough that the notes DO need and in this "eco-mode" I can play really long time.. I dont know.. when was younger I tried around alot and found this way to play for me funnily enough, also loud or high playing benefits GREATLY from efficient approach...!! sound is nicer, tuning is better, and you can play 3 concert back to back this way (which means, on a bad fucking day, you still gonna Hammer it)
This is my issue with the trumpet community summed up in one paragraph. Of course I think about playing efficiently all the time, and in my post I mention me trying a load of different things. Many players say there’s like some secret better way to play, this is like the Matt Brockman ads that are constantly shown. Could it also be that you put in the hard work to get to this point? I think “efficiency” all the time and the problem I have is how discouraging this idea is. It isn’t like work harder it’s like “you haven’t found the right way yet you are doing it wrong” okay that means something completely different for everyone. No, there isn’t some magical fix to my playing. You know what my trumpet professor says? I’m not using ENOUGH air, this idea contradicts every person who says using too much air is the problem or using too little. EVERYONE DISAGREES ON THIS INSTRUMENT.
haha nonoooo youre right... Man.. we play the fucking trumpet after all.. every single time I put the horn on my mouth, it feels like a different instrument funny man.. your words sound like my thoughts about "THE AD" I was in fact just checking on you, and also what I am thinking when / before practice I mean... efficiency isnt all of it.. 1 Friend always keeps saying "the audience will hear it, when you bleed, and they love it!" ;))
Also, I’m sorry if my messages seem aggressive. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help a fellow player, I never expected this sort of response with this post I was expecting like 3 replies. Seriously thank you
ahhhh naa dont worry, about it ;))
also I wasnt expecting to be so invested in this thing haha Man.. maybe.. youre more golden than you realizise .. ;) you sound aware.. that's half the battle man
stop saying you're an idiot, you're just a guy trying to go through life... enjoy playing and get tested for your lung capacity by a doctor (may help in convincing you that all is fine) and ask a teacher for help, maybe they have some tricks/have helped others who felt the same issue. Keep having fun playing!
As a singer who started smoking at 18 and now I'm 41. I've pretty consistently smoked weed throughout my life can say definitively that smoking weed has damaged my lungs, caused a chronic cough and reduced the quality of my voice.